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Post by Jay on Oct 27, 2022 5:50:31 GMT -8
Forgot to mention: I wrapped The Sandman a while back, which made the interesting move of having the final episode be not-story- arc and combining two extra unrelated entries in the comic (one of which was animated and about cats). I enjoyed it, but almost as one would anticipate, early on it was very much overburdened with explaining its world and characters and the nuances therein, so you had this whole narrative line about Morpheus losing his powers, being captured, and needing to recover them. Recognizing that this followed through in adaptation same way it did in the comics, it is odd to go through that whole "I've lost my powers" narrative before anything else happens and using that to establish the characters. It also wraps up quite quickly for the magnitude of the problem as initially presented. I still have no idea what Morpheus' mask was supposed to do, and joked about it with the friend who recommended the franchise to me.
Those however were the only major complaints I had, although I should acknowledge the violence in spots-- PEOPLE EXPLODE-- in deference to those more squeamish than myself. What's puzzled me about the series reception is that I've read that Netflix is carefully weighing its decision to renew or not based on whether people were "binge watching" it or not. Aside from the fact that my own schedule is extremely prohibitive at the moment when it comes to spending unbroken time on any media, it seems like a weird precedent to set, as if addictive inherently correlates with good or worthy. I enjoyed dipping into that world on the days that I did, but the world itself was so immersive that I felt like one episode was enough to satisfy.
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Post by Jeremy on Oct 27, 2022 17:55:06 GMT -8
What's puzzled me about the series reception is that I've read that Netflix is carefully weighing its decision to renew or not based on whether people were "binge watching" it or not. Aside from the fact that my own schedule is extremely prohibitive at the moment when it comes to spending unbroken time on any media, it seems like a weird precedent to set, as if addictive inherently correlates with good or worthy. See, but Netflix would much rather its original programs be addictive rather than good or worthy. They've built a brand on creating a never-ending stream of #content, and each week brings a brand-new TV show and/or movie that will keep audiences glued to the screen until the next weekend rolls around. This has naturally led them to a lot of financial turmoil in recent months, but at this point they've cemented themselves as the grand poobah of bingeable television, and they'd rather cut costs by introducing an ad-supported tier (coming next month, apparently) than by reverting to a weekly episodic model. All of which is to say - it's totally fine (and sometimes even preferable!) to watch a Netflix drama one episode at a time over several weeks. But from a business perspective, it's in Netflix's interest to prioritize shows that are middling but addictive over series that are high-quality but slow to work through.
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Post by otherscott on Oct 28, 2022 6:39:38 GMT -8
The Boys Season 3 is just really...not good. I've never been the biggest fan of the show even when it's at its best in Season 1, but this season has not been able to hit for me at all. The weird gore and nudity has never done anything for me, and at times that feels like all the show has left? The whole Soldier Boy plot is just very dull, and I've never seen such by the numbers political satire in my life - it makes Don't Look Up seem subtle and insightful.
I think this will probably be my last season.
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Post by Jeremy on Oct 28, 2022 12:57:24 GMT -8
The political satire of The Boys seems to get less insightful with each season, though that may be a byproduct of political satire in general growing broader and more ubiquitous with each passing year. (Although in fairness, the original comic book is some 15 years old and its critiques of the Bush administration are... shall we say, extremely not subtle.)
I'll probably stick around for Season Four, though I confess at this point I'm not sure how much longer the series can sustain its narrative momentum, considering the number of dead characters and major status quo shifts.
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Post by Jay on Oct 29, 2022 12:23:06 GMT -8
See, but Netflix would much rather its original programs be addictive rather than good or worthy. They've built a brand on creating a never-ending stream of #content, and each week brings a brand-new TV show and/or movie that will keep audiences glued to the screen until the next weekend rolls around. This has naturally led them to a lot of financial turmoil in recent months, but at this point they've cemented themselves as the grand poobah of bingeable television, and they'd rather cut costs by introducing an ad-supported tier (coming next month, apparently) than by reverting to a weekly episodic model. All of which is to say - it's totally fine (and sometimes even preferable!) to watch a Netflix drama one episode at a time over several weeks. But from a business perspective, it's in Netflix's interest to prioritize shows that are middling but addictive over series that are high-quality but slow to work through. It's alarming to me how quick we are to normalize decisions made by corporations and people with a lot of money. I remember hearing about how their whole business model was predicated on indefinite expansion and it reminded me of all the other economic "theories" I used to hear about in college which had a very limited basis in reality.
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Post by Jeremy on Oct 30, 2022 5:50:45 GMT -8
Well, being the brash red-blooded capitalist that I am, I respect Netflix's model as a way of juicing their finances. But it's also led to a glut of disposable TV shows and movies that only exist to keep people subscribed for just... one... more... month. It's not the worst streaming service, but it increasingly feels like the least interesting or essential. It also seems increasingly like Peak TV has at last truly peaked, with streaming services continuing to jack up prices (Netflix, Disney) and cut down on original content (HBO Max). We hit an all-time high of 559(!) scripted TV shows in 2021, as networks and streamers rebounded from the Covid deficit, but I expect things will now start leveling off.
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Post by Incandescence 112 on Oct 31, 2022 14:53:03 GMT -8
Well, being the brash red-blooded capitalist that I am, I respect Netflix's model as a way of juicing their finances. But it's also led to a glut of disposable TV shows and movies that only exist to keep people subscribed for just... one... more... month. It's not the worst streaming service, but it increasingly feels like the least interesting or essential. It also seems increasingly like Peak TV has at last truly peaked, with streaming services continuing to jack up prices (Netflix, Disney) and cut down on original content (HBO Max). We hit an all-time high of 559(!) scripted TV shows in 2021, as networks and streamers rebounded from the Covid deficit, but I expect things will now start leveling off. I wonder if Dahmer boosted things for them....depressing a thought as that is.
This year's been better though, than most when it comes to tv. Andor and House of the Dragon have spoiled the nerds by actually being really, really good, while Severance launched a hugely impressive debut season, Undone continued with a season basically as good as the first, and Better Call Saul roared to the finish line.
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Post by Jeremy on Nov 1, 2022 5:49:48 GMT -8
This year's been better though, than most when it comes to tv. Andor and House of the Dragon have spoiled the nerds by actually being really, really good, while Severance launched a hugely impressive debut season, Undone continued with a season basically as good as the first, and Better Call Saul roared to the finish line. I've seen six episodes of Andor so far, and it is easily the best Star Wars show of the year (not that Boba Fett and Kenobi offered any real competition), but I also confess to being somewhat burned out of the SW universe by this point, which may be why the series isn't connecting with me as much as it is with a lot of other folks. (That, plus the general streaming bloat which stretches the storylines far beyond necessary.) And while I like Diego Luna as an actor, his character was never the most interesting part of Rogue One, and isn't particularly exciting in this series either. The most interesting characters are, surprisingly enough, the villains, with the show painting a more complex portrait of the Empire than previously seen onscreen. Definitely in line with the more adult vein the series is trying to tap.
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Post by Jeremy on Nov 30, 2022 19:25:43 GMT -8
Finished Season Four of Atlanta. While my feelings were kind of iffy on Season Three, I was happy to see the show rebound in its final season with some of its most creative material ever. A great blend of laugh-out-loud humor and surreal drama, and several of the episodes this season were among the show's best. The Goofy Movie episode might be the show's finest (half-)hour, nailing the aesthetic of a BTS documentary while featuring some of the most note-perfect satire of 2022, though I'll also give a special nod to the Van-centric "Work Ethic!" as the show's most effectively creepy episode this side of "Teddy Perkins."
Will likely aim to rewatch the series at some point; for now, my ranking of the seasons would be 2>4>1>3. Despite my criticisms of the penultimate season, this really is one of the best TV shows of the past decade, and deserves a special mention in the all-time comedy hall of fame.
I also finished Season Two of Reservation Dogs, a series that owes an obvious debt to Atlanta in style and tone. The show is not without its faults - some of the dramatic shifts can feel abrupt (particularly when watching episodes in close succession), and nearly every episode insists on reminding us that America is a country stolen by the Big Bad Whiteys - but it's a compelling and funny series that, like Atlanta, is at its best when it just gets really weird. There are solid character pieces for each of the four leads, while the episode set at the Native conference is among the funniest I've seen on TV this year.
Anyway, I'm probably a notch cooler on the series than the critics - e.g. I found the first half of Season One to be kind of bland - but it's a charming series with a unique personality, and well worth checking out.
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Post by Incandescence 112 on Dec 3, 2022 14:01:27 GMT -8
Finished Season Four of Atlanta. While my feelings were kind of iffy on Season Three, I was happy to see the show rebound in its final season with some of its most creative material ever. A great blend of laugh-out-loud humor and surreal drama, and several of the episodes this season were among the show's best. The Goofy Movie episode might be the show's finest (half-)hour, nailing the aesthetic of a BTS documentary while featuring some of the most note-perfect satire of 2022, though I'll also give a special nod to the Van-centric "Work Ethic!" as the show's most effectively creepy episode this side of "Teddy Perkins." Will likely aim to rewatch the series at some point; for now, my ranking of the seasons would be 2>4>1>3. Despite my criticisms of the penultimate season, this really is one of the best TV shows of the past decade, and deserves a special mention in the all-time comedy hall of fame. Completely agree. Season Four was right back in the sweet spot for Atlanta. If I was making a best of 2022 tv list, Season Three's unevenness would keep it from the top spot, but it definitely earned its place in a pretty crowded year.
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